MILWAUKEE – Outside hitter Nele Barber of the Marquette University women’s volleyball team was named BIG EAST Conference Freshman of the Week on Monday after hitting .429 with 12 kills in Saturday’s win over DePaul.

Barber connected for 12 kills on 28 errorless swings on Saturday, Oct. 19 against DePaul to help the Golden Eagles to a sweep. The native of Berlin, Germany has terrorized the Blue Demons this season, helping MU to a pair of wins while hitting a combined .443. Barber also had a career-high 18 kills in the two squads’ previous meeting on Sept. 28 in Chicago.

The honor is the first of Barber's career and the fifth time this year a Marquette player has earned the league's freshman of the week award. Fellow outside hitter Autumn Bailey has earned the honor on four occasions in 2013.

The Golden Eagles (12-5, 4-1 BIG EAST), ranked No. 16 in Monday’s NCAA RPI ranking, sit half a match behind Creighton (14-4, 5-1) in the BIG EAST standings and will host the Bluejays on Friday, Oct. 25 at the Al McGuire Center at 6 p.m. Marquette will also host Villanova and Georgetown on Saturday and Sunday, respectively.

The weekend is Marquette's Alumni Weekend, capped by MU's annual Dig Pink match against the Hoyas.